One and Become
by DataIntegrationThoughtEntity
Summary: Hyosuke Saito is a new student at North High, and he quickly meets the SOS Brigade. Their aquaintence is far more than simple coincidence, but who's pulling the strings?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:** Hey guys. I'm new to this fandom, I know, so... yeah. Be nice, lol.

**Disclaimer:** Guys, you KNOW I don't own. I KNOW I don't own. So...

"You can't be serious." Hyosuke fixed his glare on his uncle. "Moving? Why? Where to?"

His uncle, Kazunari sighed. "I'm so sorry, but it's a job transfer. We have to do this. Anyway, my colleagues have already rented out a condo for us."

The boy grunted. His uncle could be a really understanding man, but he had that look in his eyes that just said he was going to be adamant about this. When he insisted on arguing, he usually won. "What about school?" he asked. Hyosuke didn't really care; school was boring, but he had to say something for the sake of keeping the conversation alive. Besides, it was one of few questions he knew his uncle would actually answer.

The older man nodded. "I'm glad you take your studies seriously." Hyosuke snorted at this. "I've already arranged for you to go to North High. They willingly accepted you."

_Why wouldn't they? _"Yeah, sure."

Kazunari frowned. "This doesn't bother you too much, does it? I'm sorry you'll have to leave your friends behind, but it's not that far. You could always come back and visit."

_What friends? _He thought bitterly, but he wasn't about to voice it aloud. If his uncle thought he actually had a social life, then he wasn't about to burst his bubble. "Yeah, sure…" he said again, retreating to his room.

He plopped down on his bed, grabbed the book that was carelessly dropped on the floor this morning, and flipped through it to try to find his page. He didn't bother using a bookmark or anything. Only half-concentrated on the story he had in his hands, he thought, _It doesn't really matter. It's not like I'm leaving anything behind. It's all so boring…I just don't want to go through all the trouble of packing and unpacking. And I bet everyone's going to stare at me on the first day. They always do. And then they either gossip or try to be my friend. Why don't they just leave me alone? Don't they get the hint? I think I make it fairly obvious I'm not interested it them. Why would I be? There's nothing special about them at all. _He was thinking about the people at his current high school. _I mean, they're all the same. _

_Just once, it'd be cool to meet someone out of the ordinary._

&&&

"Wow."

The enormous room in which he now stood was impressive, to say the least. It was vast, the walls unmarked.

His uncle came through the room behind him, carrying a huge cardboard box. He grinned.

"Hey, how'd you pay for this again?"

"I told you; my colleagues figured something out. It's complicated – you wouldn't be interested."

He nodded absently. "Yeah…" _Well, at least now I'll live a bit more comfortably. _"Where's my room?"

Kazunari laughed at his eagerness. "Down the hall. Just pick one – they're the same size."

Said 'same size' turned out to be luxurious. _Not for long though, _he mused. Hyosuke could never keep something organized; it just wasn't worth the trouble.

&&&

"Why don't you go outside?"

Hyosuke looked up from his battered book, annoyed. "I'm reading."

"Isn't the same book you've had with you from last year? You must have memorized every word by now."

He opened his mouth to retort, then saw his uncle's amused expression. "But there's nothing outside," he said bluntly.

"Go. The fresh air is good for you."

_Yeah, the 'fresh' polluted air. Sure. _He got up, grabbed his coat, and walked out the door, still concentrated on his book. Hey, it was _interesting_.

In fact, he was so indulged in the story he had read so many times before but still enthralled him, he almost walked right into someone. He looked up just in time to avoid colliding with a girl with violet-coloured hair. She was shorter than him, and her face bore no expression, but those amber eyes studied him so intensely, he felt uncomfortable.

"Um, sorry," he mumbled before walking on. _Wow. Hope not all the people here are like that. _

The school, he discovered, was situated on top of a huge hill. Hyosuke groaned. "I have to climb up _that _every day?" he exclaimed to no one in particular. _Damn. _

&&&

His uncle woke him up earlier than usual for his first day at North High. He seemed unnaturally excited, though Hyosuke didn't get what the big deal was. He was just going to school.

He fiddled with his tie, making sure it was loose enough for comfort. Taking a second to make sure he had his lunch money, he left.

As he was walking down the hall, he saw the same girl he had just met the other day. She was in uniform, which meant she was going to North High too. They obviously went the same direction. He was uncomfortable with the silence, expecting her to talk to him and ask if he was new or something. But no. She glanced at him once, then just continued walking as if he wasn't there. He wondered if he was supposed to say something first.

As they started up the hill, he suddenly realized that this lack of attention was what he had been wishing for. But still, it felt _wrong._ Alien. He was so used to other people conversing with him, and just grunting in response. He smiled to himself. He was so annoyed before, and now that he finally got what he wanted, he still wasn't happy. _Human beings are just hard to satisfy, _he thought. Glancing at the girl, he realized that she looked rather comfortable with the mutual silence, so he slowly relaxed too.

When they reached the school, they parted ways. He smiled, then took out his schedule. _Room 1-5. _He found the appropriate floor, then walked around until he found the room. Everyone else was already there, so they all turned to watch him, even though he wasn't late. The only empty seat was next to a brown-haired girl with a ribbon in her hair, who was staring out the window.

As he sat down, she turned to inspect what was to her another 'mysterious transfer student'. He looked away.

The bell rang, and all chattering ceased. The teacher stood up. "Good morning class. We have a new student among us. I would like everyone to extend a warm welcome to Mr. Saito."

Sighing, Hyosuke stood up, scowling. Typical of the teacher to introduce him. The girl sitting next to him was now positively _staring_. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what she was thinking.

He somehow sat through the first few classes and recess without being bothered. No such luck at lunch though. As he was walking to his locker, a hand firmly gripped her wrist. Turning, he saw the brown-haired girl giving him an energetic grin.

"Hey there, I'm Haruhi and this is Kyon," she said, introducing herself and pointing at the boy who was standing behind her, looking like he didn't really want to be here and offering him a smile what looked oddly empathic.

_Oh boy. She was obviously one of those people who wouldn't leave him alone. _"Yeah, hi.. I'm Hyosuke…"

"And you're a transfer student! Where do you come from? What brings you to North High?"

He grimaced under the barrage of questions, and tried to avoid most of them. It wasn't until the last one that Suzumiya finally caught his attention.

"Are you interested in aliens, time-travelers, or espers?"

The casual tone of her voice caught him off-guard. "Aliens? Espers? What?"

She just smiled at him.

"Yeah, I guess…" he trailed off, wondering what she was getting at.

"Well," she smiled sweetly, "Then you'll certainly be interested in the SOS Brigade!"

"The…" He shot a quick glance at Kyon, who looked exasperated. "SOS Brigade?"

Haruhi nodded. "It's a club, where we try to solve all the mysteries of the world! And we need a mysterious transfer student!"

Kyon bent down to whisper something in her ear, but Hyosuke still heard him. "What about Koizumi?"

"Well, we could still use _another _mysterious transfer student! You in?"

Kyon groaned at her response.

Hyosuke frowned, confused. "I guess so…" Despite his reluctance to socialize with what looked like a very annoying individual, the term 'alien' interested him. Time-travelers and espers too, huh? _Well, at least it can't be boring. Not with this hyperactive freak._

**Author's Notes:** Yeah...


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: **Sometimes I wonder if my writing's not descriptive enough and whether it needs more suspense and stuff. For some reason, everything sounded better in my head. Hmm.

**Disclaimer: **(Frankly, I'm getting tired of these things) I don't own anything pertaining to the Haruhi Suzumiya franchise. I'm not entirely sure who does, but I'm sure their name can be found somewhere on the internet.

He arrived to find the room nearly empty. To his surprise, the girl who lived in his apartment complex was sitting in a corner by the window, reading, while someone else was sitting on the long table, doing homework.

The latter looked up at him as he entered, and smiled. "Hello. I'm Itsuki Koizumi. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Hyosuke took his outstretched hand. _Ah, so this is the guy Kyon was talking about._

"So, I hear you're a transfer student?"

Hyo grunted, wondering why Itsuki looked so damn cheerful.

"Would you care to join me in a game of Othello?"

Hyo was just winning the game when the door opened and Haruhi burst in, dragging an orange-haired girl who looked vastly intimidated.

"And the meeting may- hey, where's Kyon?"

Itsuki shrugged, still smiling.

Haruhi's smile was quickly replaced with a frown. "Why is he always late?"

No one pointed out that she was early, and as the new guy, Hyosuke decided that he'd do better to just sit there quietly.

"_Anyway, _I'd like to introduce Hyosuke!" she exclaimed.

Hyo nodded.

"And I see you've already met Itsuki! Great! It only makes sense that transfer students get along well! And in the corner, that's Yuki. And _this_, this is Mikuru!" she finished dramatically, practically flinging the poor girl into the room. Satisfied with the perplexed look on Hyo's face, she said, "Okay, now the Brigade leader has to go find Kyon, that deserter. I'll be right back!" And with those parting words, she ran off.

Itsuki smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that. Ms. Suzumiya tends to overdo things a bit."

"I see…"

&&&

"So… Yuki, is it?" he asked as they walked towards the apartment after the chaotic but surprisingly uneventful meeting.

"Yes," was her one word reply.

They walked silently down the hill for a few more minutes, before Hyo asked, "What're you reading?"

She just raised the book so that he could see and read the cover. He wasn't familiar with it, or the author.

"Ah."

He had nothing else to say after that, so he just smiled to himself. He said bye when they reached the complex, and went to his door. He unlocked it and went inside.

"I'm home."

"Ah, yes. How was your day? Why are you home late?"

Hyo shrugged. "It was okay. Not too bad. And I left you a message, didn't I?"

His uncle smiled warmly. "Fair enough. It's nice to know that you're getting involved in extracurricular activities. Tell me, what exactly were you doing?"

"Eh, it was some completely insane club that didn't seem to have a point. Called themselves the 'SOS Brigade' or something."

His uncle froze momentarily, then relaxed again. His smile, however, was artificial this time. "I see."

Hyo frowned. "Is something the matter?"

"No, not really. Who was in charge of this Brigade?"

"Eh, some freak named Suzumiya."

"Hmm." His uncle looked pensive.

Hyo narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Alright, what are you not telling me?"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I'm glad you had a good day."

Frowning at his uncle's behavior, he retreated to his room to read.

&&&

When he got up for school the next day, he heard his uncle talking to someone over the phone in an urgent hurried voice. Hyo frowned. "Something wrong?"

His uncle jumped at his voice, quickly muttered something to whoever was on the other end of the phone, and hung up. "Ah, Hyosuke. Good morning."

Hyo sat down and helped himself to a slice of bread. "'Sup? Who were you talking to?"

"Just a friend," he said a bit too hastily, dismissing the question. "Anyway, are you going to be meeting up with the SOS Brigade today?"

"Yeah, I think so…" he started, taking a bite out of his breakfast. "What're you getting at?"

"Nothing. Just curious. But, uh, you know, I'd like to meet these new friends of yours. Why don't you invite them over?"

Hyosuke choked on his water. "Invite them over? But I barely know them! And they're not my friends," he finished with a glare.

"Yes, of course… when'll you be home?"

"I don't know... Haruhi said something about searching the town for aliens and stuff."

"I see."

As soon as Hyo was done with his breakfast and he started to leave, Kazunari Saito picked up the phone again.

Hyo left, frowning. His uncle sure was acting weird lately. He came across Yuki Nagato again on the elevator.

"Hey there."

She acknowledged his presence with a nod.

"So, uh, are you going to be in the clubroom after school?"

Another affirmative nod.

"Alright then."

&&&

The day flew by uneventfully, and Hyo soon found himself sitting in the room playing Othello with Kyon.

The door burst open again, but this time, the transfer student was expecting it. As soon as she came in, she made everyone leave, babbling about how important it was to not waste time.

So before he could fully grasp what was going on, he found himself stuck in the café where they had agreed to meet in an hour with Yuki. Itsuki and Kyon and walked off one way, and Haruhi had left grinning with a traumatized Mikuru.

"So. What exactly are we supposed to do?"

Yuki repeated Haruhi's exact orders, word for word.

"Okay then…" Sighing, he sat down and pulled out a book. Interpreting Nagato's blinks as confusion, he smiled and explained, "I doubt we'll find anything anyway, so why not just stay here? I mean, at least we won't be late."

Accepting his explanation, Yuki sat down facing him with her own book. As he finished his chapter, he looked up and suddenly realized how frequently Yuki turned her pages. "Er…"

He sat there watching her for a while, counting the seconds it took for her to finish the two open pages. _1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8… and she turns the page. Wow. _Leaning a bit closer, he realized that the font was _tiny_. _And I thought _I _was a fast reader, _he thought, amazed. Not wanting to disturb her – he knew just how annoying it was to be disturbed during a good book, and Yuki seemed interested – he looked back down at his own story. About a half hour later, Yuki closed the thick book she was holding and set it down on the table.

"Done?" he asked, half amused and half amazed.

She nodded.

"Hmm." He fell silent after that. Itsuki and Kyon walked in on them at that moment.

Koizumi greeted Hyosuke with a smile and a polite wave, then turned to Yuki. "I need to talk to you," he said urgently.

She got up and went to the corner of the café with him, where he started to say something. Hyo couldn't really see from the distance, but he looked troubled by something. Kyon sat down.

"Did you guys even leave?"

Hyo grinned. "How'd you know?"

Kyon answered, "Because I did that once, hanging back and just waiting for Harahi to come back. It's more sensible than running around the town without a goal. I mean, she's not even completely sure what we're supposed to be looking for."

Hyosuke chuckled.

As if on cue, Haruhi stormed in, Mikuru shuffling behind her. Hyosuke wasn't sure, but it looked like she had been crying.

Kyon seemed to notice too, but didn't say anything. "Did you find anything?"

Haruhi shook her head angrily.

In the corner of the café, Yuki listened carefully to Itsuki's words without comment.

"I swear we were being followed! I just don't know why anyone would stalk us. I mean, we look just like ordinary high school kids hanging out after school."

Nagato nodded. "He is nearby."

"Who?"

"The one who has followed you here. He is standing outside the building."

Itsuki quickly stole a glance out the window. "Oh, that's him all right… what's he-?" he broke off, shocked. Their stalker had just taken a long object out of its case…

"Haruhi!"

Kyon looked up, saw, and instinctively tackled Suzumiya to the floor.

"Kyon! What-"

A gunshot was heard and the window shattered. The pieces of glass flew. Itsuki saw the hit man quickly flee the scene.

Crushed under Kyon, who was still too scared to get up, Haruhi lay shocked. _What just happened? _The other occupants of the café were equally shocked, but the bullet was undoubtedly meant for her. After a long minute during which everyone was busy trying to collect their wits and the owner of the café called the police, she finally said, "Kyon? You can get off now."

He blinked, then blushed. "Oh. Right," he said, hurriedly getting up on his feet.

Hyosuke was staring intently at them. "What was that? Why was he trying to shoot you? Do you know the guy?"

Suzumiya swallowed hard. "I really don't know…" Despite herself, her voice came out weak and she trembled.

They heard a whimper, coming from Mikuru, who had somehow managed to scurry under the table. Blushing red, she got up.

"Right. The police should be here soon. We should just stay put," Itsuki offered, trying to take control of the situation.

No one had anything to say to that. They weren't planning on leaving anyway.

The police came quickly. After exchanging a few words with the proprietor of the café, they interrogated the SOS Brigade.

"Firstly, can anyone identify the suspect?"

They shook their heads, and Yuki started scribbling something on a piece of paper torn out of a copybook.

"Any possible motive for assassination?"

Kyon immediately thought of Asakura, then dismissed the thought. She didn't try to kill Haruhi; she was trying to do away with him. Still, the memory of her made him shiver.

"Hmm. Well I need all your names and other contact information," the officer said. "We will call your homes if we ever need anything. And you can call me anytime. You all know the police station's number? Good. Ask for Yamato, got it? And-what's this?"

Yuki thrust the paper into the officer's face. "This is the suspect's appearance at the time of the incident," she said quietly.

Itsuki glanced at the detailed sketch and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's him all right."

"Hmm." Officer Yamato looked it over. "Yes, I believe this might be valuable. Thank you. After you give us your contact information, you may all go home. _Except _you," he said, looking at Haruhi. "We have some questions for you."

**Author's Notes: **Microsoft Word is stupid sometimes. Apparently 'manga' isn't a word, but Yuki is. …lol, guess our favorite Humanoid Interface is just special. :P I'm so bored. No, I actually have a lot of stuff to do. I'm just lazy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: **Been a while, but I'm back.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything pertaining to the Haruhi Suzumiya franchise.

"_Is there a problem, officer?"_

_The short stocky man shook his head violently at his superior. "No, just that… they're just kids! You can't really believe that…"_

"_Haruhi Suzumiya has to be terminated," was the brusque reply. Isoroku's eyes narrowed. "And they're not_ just_ kids. I thought that was made clear. You are with us, I presume?"_

"_Of course!" the officer replied hastily. "I just… I'm a policeman, I-"_

"_We're not asking much of you. You just have to make sure Kusanagi gets away with it."_

_The man sighed in defeat. "I know you're right. But… Kazu's nephew is among them. He's not happy about this."_

"_Sacrifices have to be made," Irosoku declared coldly. Then he softened. "It's all for the greater good, you know that."_

_He nodded, and left muttering. _

&&&

Hyosuke sighed, bored, frustrated, and wanting nothing more than to get home and read some random manga to take his mind off the day's confusing events. Or maybe get some sleep. Nagato, normally silent and passive, had surprised him by insisting on staying with Suzumiya. Officer Yamato looked apprehensive, but Yuki had agreed on letting Haruhi be interrogated alone.

His feet dragged on the sidewalk. Man, it sure felt lonely. Yuki didn't talk, but she was company.

As soon as he walked into his apartment, Kazunari was on him. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Hyo blinked, and his mind blanked; he stared stupidly for a full minute before he realized what his uncle was saying. "Oh! Uh, yeah, I'm fine…" he replied, barely suppressing a yawn. Then, despite the fact that he was worn out, he frowned and asked suspiciously, "How'd you know what happened? Yamato, uh, Officer Yamato said that we shouldn't tell anyone…"

"Uh," Kazunari was suddenly defensive. "He called me and told me about it."

Too tired to ask for details or even care, Hyosuke just nodded and dragged himself to his room. Throwing his schoolbag containing homework he didn't really feel like doing anyway onto his desk, he flopped down on his bed and was within minutes asleep.

&&&

Yuki sat alone in the waiting room. Haruhi was with Yamato in the officer's office. While she normally would have been flipping through a book, the bibliophile recognized the importance of the conversation and did her best to stay alert and tried to listen through the thick wall separating her from the conversation.

"Not tell anyone about this? Why would we do that?" Haruhi, shaken as she was, still managed to question the officer.

"We, um, have reason to believe that this was a freak accident. And we want this, uh, operation to be conducted under complete secrecy."

"Why? That doesn't make sense! I mean, you already know what the guy looks like! Why don't you just post wanted posters with photocopies of Yuki's picture?" Suzumiya sounded flustered, and there was a trace of desperation in her voice.

"We are doing our best to find the culprit…" Yamato growled.

"You're not answering my question!"

_She is correct, _Yuki realized. The officer was dodging the question. Was he really doing his best to catch the suspect or was he just trying to find some excuse to not work? Or worse yet, was he _protecting_ the man? _A very high possibility of that being the case. _

Enraged, Haruhi stormed out of the room, scowling. This wasn't good. Haruhi wanted answers, and she wanted them _now_. What was Yuki supposed to say to her? A part of her frustration was due to nervousness, of that Nagato was sure. Suzumiya was scared.

Yuki stood. "We should go."

Suzumiya might have forgotten she was even there, the way she stared. "Uh, right." She became more talkative as they left the building though. "Can you believe that guy? Secrecy! Whatever he's doing, he should at least tell me! I'm the one who got shot at!" Suzumiya suddenly halted. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "If the _authorities_ aren't going to do anything, _we_ will! This might not have anything to do with the supernatural, but the SOS Brigade has to take care of this!" And she ran off.

Nagato considered following her to make sure she got home alright. It wasn't any 'freak accident', but attempted murder, and Haruhi knew that as well. She wasn't safe. Her energy came from adrenaline. Rather than stand there in shock, as some people would do, Haruhi decided to actually do something. Interesting…

&&&

They didn't normally call meetings at lunch, but Haruhi had that look on her face. Kyon got dragged to the clubroom without complaining. Hyosuke followed them, dazed.

Yuki was in her usual corner, but she now looked up at them with a flicker of... interest? Mikuru was sweetening tea or something, while Itsuki sat facing the window. He turned when they entered, and greeted them, unsmiling.

"Alright." Haruhi released Kyon's collar and strode to stand in front of the computer, ready to make an announcement of some sort.

"Everyone was there yesterday. Since it has become clear that Yamato has absolutely no idea what he's doing" – Hyo smiled despite himself – "the SOS Brigade has decided to take matters into its own hands."

_Eh? When was this decided? _Hyo blinked. Maybe he wasn't considered an official member of the brigade so he wasn't consulted… but Kyon and Mikuru looked just as confused as he did. Itsuki nodded; he was expecting something of the sort. And Yuki… well, Hyo had a hard time deducing anything from her expression.

"So. Yuki's picture was confiscated by the police so she'll have to draw us a new one, won't she?" All eyes turned to the corner. Nagato slowly stood up, grabbed a pencil and loose-leaf and started on her perfect impersonation of the culprit.

_Damn, doesn't she ever protest to anything? _Hyo frowned.

Satisfied, Haruhi then turned to the other members of the brigade. "Okay then! Let's start by each reciting our memories of the event! And someone has to write them down… Kyon! You're our recorder! Write!"

Grumbling, Kyon sat down with his own pencil in hand, and listened as Haruhi gave her excruciatingly detailed version of the incident. Hyosuke almost laughed when she started babbling about how Itsuki and Yuki were talking too quietly. He felt sorry for Kyon, who was scribbling desperately to keep up with her dictating. Still, it was funny.

"I'm done." The quiet monotone voice interrupted Haruhi mid-rant.

"Eh?" asked the brigade leader.

Itsuki bent over for a better view of the pencil sketch. "Hey… it looks.. exactly like the one you drew yesterday." He said this bluntly, unsurprised.

Yuki nodded.

"Oh." Haruhi reached for it, grabbing it and examining it critically. "Hmm. Good job."

No response from Nagato, of course. Hyosuke was getting good at predicting when she'd answer something and when she wouldn't. He took a look at the sketch; he didn't see it the other day. _Wow, it _is_ good. _

Seeming happy with the progress made, she got Kyon to type up her dictation and scan Yuki's picture.

_What the heck? Why did she get him to write it down on paper in the first place then?_ Not understanding the logic, Hyosuke decided to just sit there and blend in with the background.

Haruhi was surprisingly energetic. But after the end of the hour, the wannabe detective didn't get anywhere, and the entire brigade was fed up. Frustrated, Suzumiya decided she was tried and left.

_Oh, so _she _can come and go whenever she wants to. _Hyosuke shook his head.

Nagato stood up suddenly.

"Huh? You going home?"

Negative.

"Um… okay then."

Kyon nudged him. "Hey, don't feel bad or anything. She's like that with everyone."

"Yeah, I noticed…" He watched her leave the room. "Where's she going anyway?"

"Not a hundred percent sure, but it's probably the computer lab."

"Computer lab?" _Ah, interesting._ "What's there to do in the lab?"

"Well… there are computers?" Kyon answered uncertainly. "If you ask me, the Computer Club President admires her hacking skills and invited her over."

"Hack- wha?"

Kyon laughed. "Long story. Remind me to tell you sometime."

Hyosuke frowned. "Mmhmm. Hey, the lab's just down the hall, right?"

"Yeah."

"Huh. I think I'll go check it out…"

Mikuru, who had been pretty quiet the whole day (though she just might have been enjoying the fact that Suzumiya wasn't attacking her or anything) looked up. "Are you sure you don't want some tea?"

"Uh…" Not wanting to appear rude or anything, he took a cup and brought it with him to the lab.

It was easy to find, since every room in the school was labeled. Casually sipping his tea – he had to admit it was good – he opened the door.

Everyone in the room had their own personal computer, or laptop. Pounding on a keyboard furiously with inhuman speed and barely glancing up at him as he entered was Nagato.

"Can I help you?" Someone stood up and went to him. "I am the president of the Computer Club."

"Oh. Uh… hi?"

The 'computer guy', as Hyo now thought of him, frowned when he sipped his tea. "There will be no drinking or eating in the lab."

"Oh. Sorry." Finishing his drink, he tossed the paper cup into the conveniently placed garbage can.

"So can I help you?" he repeated.

"Um…" Hyo realized he was making a bad first impression. "I was just looking around."

"Ah. I see." His expression contradicted his statement. "Are you particularly skilled with a computer terminal?"

_Huh? _"…" Though he knew he probably sounded like an idiot, he tried to keep a straight face and stay serious. He didn't really care about the computer guy, but he couldn't let him think he was better than him or anything.

The computer guy raised an eyebrow. "Do you know how to use a computer?"

"Yes," Hyosuke snarled immediately.

Amused, computer guy smiled. "Show us." Pointing to an unoccupied computer, he said, "Turn it on."

_He's teasing me. _Regardless, after giving him a contemptuous glare, he walked over to the terminal, and to his embarrassment, had to search for the on switch for some time. He suddenly realized that Nagato's typing, which had been the prominent sound in the room, had ceased. She was watching him intently. _And I look like an idiot. Great. _

The monitor flicked to life, to his relief. He had been scared that the computer guy had done something like pulling the plug.

"Very good."

Hyosuke scowled. "What do you want?" This guy was having way too much fun.

"Why don't you try running a search for a word processing program?"

"…Right." Clearing his throat, he stared at the screen. Um... well, the 'Start' button was always a good way to, well, start. He didn't know what to do after that. Realizing that the Computer Club President was sneering at him, he growled back, "Don't get too cocky. So I don't know how to do this. It's not like this really matters." _Yeah Hyo, just keep telling yourself that and maybe you'll start believing it. _

Computer guy just gave him an annoyingly smug smile.

Muttering to himself and cursing his lack of technology-related knowledge, he left the room.

Nagato was still staring.

&&&

Itsuki was waiting for him outside the school.

"Ah, hello," he greeted casually, smiling.

"Hey."

"I have something I'd like to talk to you about, if you want to follow us," he said, suddenly serious.

"Um, _us_?"

"Indeed. Me and Nagato-san."

Turning, Hyosuke noticed that Yuki was exiting the building. She walked up to them, and stopped, her expression blank.

"So. Shall we go?" asked Koizumi.

"Wait, where are you going?"

He blinked. "We're going to check out the café again. I strongly recommend you accompany us. Isn't that right, Nagato?"

She gave him a miniscule nod. "The information is difficult to express and process, but it must be transferred to you."

"…Okay." Well, he didn't have much to do anyway, so why not follow these two queer individuals? They seemed to want him to come, so he might as well humor them.

&&&

"So, what was it you wanted to say?"

They had been walking for quite a while now, in silence.

"Ah, yes. Forgive me, I was merely trying to find someway to start," Koizumi apologized. "Well… maybe I should start by telling you who I really am. I wouldn't blame you if you don't believe me at first, but it's the truth."

_What the hell is he babbling about?  
_

"I am an esper. I work for an organization which watches over Haruhi Suzumiya, the creator of this world."

"…" The words coming out of the tall boy's mouth were completely ridiculous, but Hyo just kept quite and listened.

"Suzumiya-san has the power to shape this world to her will. Three years ago, she wished for the existence of aliens, time-travelers, and espers. Thus, three years ago, I gained my powers."

"…So you're an esper because Suzumiya wanted you to be one?"

"That is correct."

"But.. isn't Haruhi still running around looking for espers?"

"Yes, she is unaware of her powers. We believe it is best for her to remain that way. Similarly, she also brought Asahina and Nagato to her."

Hyo glanced curiously at the short-haired girl. "Hmm?"

She nodded. "I am a contact-purpose humanoid interface created by the Data Integration Thougt Entity," she declared without changed her tone of voice.

"…I see." _No, I don't see. What the hell is that supposed to mean? _

Koizumi smiled. "I know this might be a little hard to take in, but you have to believe us."

Hyosuke blinked blankly. _You can't be serious. Would you believe some random person who walks up to you on the train and claims to be a time-traveler with a huge grin on his face? _

Koizumi read his expression and chuckled. "It's quite all right if you don't trust us right now. I just wanted to give you a heads-up."

"We're here," Nagato said. They had arrived at the café. It was understandably closed, but it didn't look like the police had closed off the area or even tried to investigate the surroundings for any clues.

"Which is exactly why we're here," Koizumi explained when Hyo voiced his assessments.

Nagato drifted from the two. "The suspect was standing at this exact spot yesterday. It was from here that he took his shot."

Koizumi nodded. "Can you trace him?"

"He has left fingerprints and other identifiable clues. It will not be difficult to follow his trail."

"Good."

Hyosuke felt uncomfortable. How did Nagato know this? And just what would they do if they did find this gunman? His cell phone suddenly vibrated, startling him. "Excuse me," he muttered, fumbling with it.

"Hello?"

His uncle's familiar voice answered, "Hyosuke, get back home, now." He sounded flustered.

"But-"

"No. Now. Don't argue, please. This is urgent."

Puzzled, he agreed, and hung up.

"Sorry guys… I've got to go... it's important," he apologized, before turning and walking off.

&&&

Koizumi watched Hyo's retreating figure with interest. "What do you think he's up to?"

"…"

The esper blinked. "Nagato?"

"We're being watched." She turned her head towards the café, where, sure enough, a man was loitering, talking into his cellular phone.

**Author's Notes: **That wasn't so great, but I hope you, um, enjoyed it? Lol Review. Don't worry, the next chapter will hopefully be better. ...If I ever write it.


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